Elastic-fluid turbine.



No. 807,146. V PATENTED DEG.12,1905. G. WESTINGHOUSE.

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed May 2,1905. fierial No. 258,484.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WESTING- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Elastic-Fluid Turbines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elastic-fluid turbines.

It has been found in practice that the retors and stators of elastic-fluid turbinesare liable to and do distort under certain conditions. It is essential to the efficiency of such machines to have the clearances between the relatively moving parts small, and to overcome the troubles which arise from small clearances and said distortions has been an object of this invention.

In the drawings accompanying this application, and throughout the several views of which similar elements are denoted by like characters, Figure 1 is a view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of a fragmentary portion of a turbine equipped with this invention. In this view the blades or vanes, as the case may be, are shown unshrouded, but lashed together by any suitable means. Fig. 2 is a view-similar to Fig. 1, but in this view the blades or vanes are shown shrouded. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a fragmentary portion of a turbine equipped with this invention. Fig. 4 is a view in sectional elevation of a portion of a turbine-stator equippedwith a modification of this invention shown in line with the rotorblades. I

In carrying this invention into effect the holding element for either the blades or the vanes, which may be either the rotor or the stator, is provided with circumferential undercut slots or channels 4 in line with the rows of blades or vanes carried bythe other a holding element, which may be the rotor or channel beneath the ring 5 and tends to yieldingly hold said ring in its outward position, or so that its flange 6 lies in contact with the overhung portion 7 of the channel.

Into these slots or channels 4 a seg As the turbine casings or stators are commonly divided on the horizontal plane through the turbine axis, these ring segments 5 are easily inserted within the channels of the stator. If they are employed on the rotor, however, it will be necessary to have a section of the overhung portion 7 remay be reducedto a minimum, and the top.

edge of the ring 5 may lie just out of contact with the ends of the blades or vanes or the shroud with which they may be provided. If distortion does occur and the blades or vanes contact with the ring, the same will yield and move outwardly to accommodate such distortion.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 4 each of the clearance-determining rings is provided with a flange portion 11, which extends longitudinally of the turbine-axis and below the outer ends of the rotor-blades. The stator or casing is cut away, as shown at 12, to accommodate this flange portion when the same is moved toward the stator under pressure due to the blades contacting therewith. This form, will-only be used when the blades are unshrouded.

This invention is applicable to turbines of various types and is not limited to the type illustrated, and it will be understood that various other modifications may be made in this device without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus described this invention,what I claim is 1. In an elastic-fluid turbine, in combination with the annular rows of rotor-blades,

clearance determining rings yieldingly mounted in the stator in line with said rows.

2. In an elastic-fluid turbine, in combination with the annular rows of rotor-blades, radial clearance-determining rings yieldingly mounted in the stator in line with said rows.

3. In an elastic-fluid turbine, in combination with the annular rows of rotor-blades, clearance determining rings yieldingly mounted in the stator adjacent to the outer ends of the blades in said rows.

1. In an elastic-fluid turbine, in combination with the annular rows of rotor-blades, a stator, channels in said stator in line with said rows, segmental clearance-determining rings located in said channels and means tending to yieldingly hold said rings toward the blades of said rows.

mounted in the stator in line with said blades and each of which is provided with a flange portion extending longitudinally of the tur- 3 bine-aXis and normally beyond the stat0r= surface.

7. In an elastic-fluid turbine, in combination with annular rows of shrouded rotorblades, clearancedetermining rings yieldingly mounted in the stator adjacent to the blade-shrouds.

8. In an elastic-fluid turbine, in combina= tion with an annular row of rotor-blades, ashroud covering the outer ends of a plurality of said blades, a segmental clearance-determining ring loosely mounted in the stator adjacent to said shroud, and a spring tending to yieldingly force said ring toward said shroud.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of April,1905.

GEO. WESTINGHOUSE.

Witnesses:

DAVID WILLIAMS, E. W. McCALLIsTER. 

